


Numb the Pain

by J_Maria



Series: The Black Heir [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1524413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Maria/pseuds/J_Maria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes time to heal all wounds, but for some, the pain can never be dulled. Reactionary tale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Numb the Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This was the original short story that inspired Apples, Trees & Roots. It's a smidge darker than the spin-off.

The Leaky Cauldron was packed that night, people speaking in hushed tones as they gathered around the large open fireplace. Reports had been coming in all night, thoughts too dark to comprehend and dangerous to boot. The dark haired woman at the bar was watching them, taking everything in as she listened to the hushed conversations around her. A lot of the lingo was still foreign to her, so she turned to the bartender.

“These are dark times,” he muttered half to her and half to himself.

“What’s goin’ on?” She didn’t need to ask, not really, but curiosity got the better of her. It always did.

“Dark wizards tried to break into the Ministry, heard the Potter boy was involved,” Tom replied, he peered into the crowd before turning back to the woman. “These are dangerous ages we’re livin’ in, Miss. Rumor has it You-Know-Who is back.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“He Who Shall Not Be Named. A frightfully powerful dark wizard, he is.”

“The big bad. I gotcha, man,” she nodded.

“Fudge’ll be called to resign, and you didn’t hear it from me, but it’s about damn time. People have been calling for it since that Sirius Black escaped, and after last year and the poor Diggory boy’s death - well, it’s about time.”

She let him think the names meant nothing to her, she wasn’t going to rain on his gossip parade. One name meant more to her than she should have let it. Old habits die hard. She let out a small derisive laugh at that and took another deep sip of her drink. Irony was a bitch, and one she knew too well. Her skin tingled sharply as she felt a presence behind her. She was too familiar with the person who was making her tingle and not in the good way.

“I ain’t in a mood to see you at all, Lupin.” Faith Lehane snapped, slamming the last of the cup’s contents down her throat.

“Faith, you need to come home,” Remus Lupin sighed softly, tiredly.

“It ain’t my home. He never claimed me as bein’ his kid and I could give a rat’s ass about some little replacement kid he found for himself.” The bitter hurt was rough in her voice. She winced at how rough it sounded in her own ears. She wasn’t normally a whiny little brat - she saved that pleasure and title all to mini-B.

“I know - “

“Those words leave your mouth, you’re gonna get neutered dog-boy,” Faith spat, ignoring the protest of the weakened woman beside him. “You will never know what I’m thinkin’ or what the hell I’m feelin’ - I -” _got passed up again for another_ ‘special’ _kid_. She couldn’t say it though. She couldn’t admit that it hurt that her father hadn’t bothered to see her once since he’d gone back to England. But he’d seen Harry, worried about Harry, died for Harry. Faith quickly ordered another drink, slamming it back as quickly as it was in her hand. She’d come so far, and she was still only second best. Even her dead father thought it was true.


End file.
